Tonga A-Z Visitors Guide - Small Guide to a tropical paradise
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 Tonga A-Z - The Tonga Visitors Guide

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Moon Handbooks - South Pacific

Tonga


Gardens

The Tongan Wildlife Centre/Veitongo Bird Park contains a small botanical garden that contains all common Polynesian food plants plus lush vegetation in the aviaries to keep the birds happy. You’ll find it 10km from Nuku’alofa, just east of Keleti on the south coast road. A number of buses service this route but it is a 2.5km walk from Veitongo to the park (or T$2 if you can hail a passing taxi. A taxi from town will cost about Y$8.
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Game Fishing

You’re almost guaranteed to come back to shore with pulled muscles between the shoulder blades! All species of fish frequent Tonga’s clear waters, particularly around the Vava’u group of islands where there are vast areas of reef, drop-offs, canyons and sea mounts. Thew big fighters include marlin (blue, black and striped), mahi-mahi, spearfish, sailfish, wahoo, dogtooth tuna and yellowfin tuna. Prices start around $200 per person per day. Some contacts: On, Vava’u Henk and Sandra Gros have an 8 metre powerboat, Target One and a clever domain name - www.invited.to/target1 (Ph 70 647); Pat and Keith McKee have Kiwi Magic, a 10 metre power boat (Ph 70 441). If you only get to Tongatapu and want to get amongst the big fish, Neil Dalgety of Flying Scotsman Charters takes up to three anglers for half and full day trips (Ph 23 348). To give you an idea, in 2005 an angler aboard Target One, using a 60kg line, landed a Blue Marlin that weighed in at 312kg!
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Gay Scene

There’s no ‘gay scene’ as westerners know it but the gender-bending fakaleiti are more than happy to socialise.
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Geckos

Geckos are small, harmless lizards with adhesive pads on their toes. Mostly nocturnal, they wander the walls and ceilings, cack-cacking, mating and keeping the mosquito population down. Repeat - they are harmless. A certain resort in Fiji keeps one wing gecko free because a few American tourists complained that there were baby crocodiles in their room. These lizards are your friend. Think of them as a roaming mosquito net.
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Geography

Tonga lies between Fiji and Samoa with its 170 islands (42 inhabited) spread over some 700,000 square miles of ocean. It’s the first country on the eastern side of the International Dateline so, technically, it is “where time begins”. Tongatapu and Vava’u are uplifted atolls. Towsering volcanoes once erupted where they are now and, when they sank, coral polyps gradually built up the islands. The active volcanoes today are in a line 50km west of Ha’apai and Vava’u. Tonga is moving east-southeast at a rate of 20mm a year.
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Getting Around

  • Ferries: From Nuku’alofa, ferries to ‘Eua leave from Faua Jetty but ships to Ha’apai and Vava’u depart from the adjoining Queen Salote Wharf. The shipping offices are at the entrance to the wharf.
  • Buses: In Nuku’alofa there’s a bus station opposite the Tonga Visitors Bureau. You can catch a bus to pretty much anywhere and it’s expensive (most fares T$1.20). Public transport has a slight aura of chaos but people are helpful if you need advice - services start around 6:00am and stop running just before 5:00pm. It probably goes without saying that buses don’t run on Sundays. Getting around Vava’u by public transport isn’t easy or practical. There are mini-buses and passenger trucks but they don’t run to a schedule. Hitching is fine but you may be picked up by a passenger truck - if so, offer to pay (around T$1).
  • Taxis: All registered taxis have a ‘T’ on the number plate but not all have meters. For short trips around town, the fare is T$1.50, $3 to $4 for longer trips and $15 to the airport. Always good to ask the price first and to carry small change with you. If you want a taxi on a Sunday, best arrange with a driver on Saturday and expect to pay a surcharge. On Vava’u taxis charge T$1.90 for the first km and 80 cents per km after that. If ringing for a taxi, do so when you need it - if you call ahead of the required time the request may get lost in the ether. Some taxi drivers double as tour guides for trips around the island and it will cost around the same as the daily rate for a rental car.
  • Bicycles: Tongatapu is pretty much made for cycling - not much traffic, no steep hills, road signs to direct you and lots of scenery and village life to take in. Quality 15-speed mountain bikes can be rented from Niko Bicycle Rental (opposite the Dateline Hotel) for T$2/$10 per hour/day. Some guesthouses also have bicycles for rent. Because there’s not much happening on Sundays, this can be a good day to get out and explore (make sure you reserve the bike prior to Sunday though because everywhere has to appear to be closed for the day of rest). While Vava’u is a lot hillier, a bicycle is still a good mode of transport.
  • Rental Car (or scooter): Foreign and international driver’s licences are not recognised in Tonga so you need to purchase a Tongan driver’s licence from the Traffic Department at the Central Police Station (T$15). This is simply a revenue-raising exercise and there is no test apart from one of patience. You can rent cars and scooters from Avis, upstairs in the Tungi Arcade (Ph 21 179) - small cars start at T$80 a day with unlimited kms. There’s also E.M. Jones Travel (Tuafa’hahau and Wellington Roads - Ph 23 423) and Budget, next to Asco Motors south of town (Ph 23 510). In Vava’u you can rent cars for T$70 per day from Liviela Taxi (opposite the Bounty Bar - Ph 70 240) or from JV Taxi (opposite Vava’u Trading Centre - Ph 70 136). You can get your licence from the police station around the corner. If you are a tad nervous about driving in another country where things may not be as predictable, ask the going rate to have a driver for a day. Driving is on the left. Drive slowly, obey the road rules and don’t run over a pig (see Driving).
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Golf

This is not a destination for professional golfers but hackers can enjoy a hit on Tongatapu. The Tonga Golf Club is opposite the indoor stadium at Alele on the road to the airport. It’s nine-holes, green fees are T$10 and clubs recognisable only to hackers might be available for hire. On Saturdays the club bar can be a good place to drop in for a beer or six with the locals. Closed on Sundays and not worth ringing to make a booking because there’s no phone connected yet (you might try 24 949). Early July sees the Heilala Classic Golf Tournament.
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Government

The Tongan system of government is a ‘constitutional monarchy’ with the emphasis on ‘monarchy’. Historically the King (or Queen) has called the shots. Under the constitution (that dates back to 1875), the King appoints the members of the cabinet and the governors of Ha’apai and Vava’u, who retain their posts for life, unless the King decides otherwise. He can dissolve parliament, dismiss ministers, veto legislation and proclaim martial law if he so desires. Along with the death of King Tupou IV in 2006 came a change in mood (as seen in the pro-democracy riots of November 2006. The world has changed since 1875 and a lot of Tongans would like to see that reflected in the way they are governed. Some interesting times lie ahead. Visit www.pmo.gov.to
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Guide Books

Guidebooks are pretty thin on the ground for Tonga. Moon Handbooks South Pacific, written by David Stanley, is an excellent publication but is not available in shops in Australia and New Zealand. You can buy online through Amazon or visit the Tonga section of David's website, The South Pacific Organiser.
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Gymnasium

We understand that some people are addicted to exercise so if the endorphins are calling for release, perhaps give the Teufaiva Park Stadium & Gymnasium a ring on 24 568. Otherwise seek out a hot curry. Capsaicin (the active ingredient in chilli peppers) can also stimulate endorphin release.
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